SALT LAKE CITY — In a surprise snowstorm outside the Capitol, a group of Mormon women wrote notes and attached them with bouquets of flowers.

The notes urged lawmakers inside to pass Senate Bill 100, which would bar discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity. They were signed by members of Mormons Building Bridges, a group of LDS members that supports LGBT rights.

“The religious freedom language, I think that we’re extremely close if not there on that,” Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, told FOX 13. “The language on protection on sexual orientation and gender identity, we’re extremely close. My anticipation is we’ll finalize that in the next few hours, maybe a day or two.”

9 comments

nobody

Don’t tell me what I can do. The government must treat everyone equality, but I should be able to hire, fire, rent to, do business with or associate with who I want. Freedom of religion and association are rights. A job and housing are not.

jordierivers

No one should be able to discriminate in housing or employment under the guise of religion. People worship in church, not the workplace or property that they rent. This bill is unconstitutional and will be challenged.

nobody

Jason

@Noboby, What is your understanding of Public Accommodation law and how it applies to the situations you describe? Privately-owned businesses and facilities that offer certain goods or services to the public — including food, lodging, gasoline, and entertainment — are considered public accommodations for purposes of federal and state anti-discrimination laws.

Trace

miles (dave)

i have no good reason to believe that this conversation is a cut and dry easy one to have. anyone who says we need to keep religion out of government dosnt understand that in a democracy its government by the people for the people and here in utah like most other states a lot of us are a religious people and its not just the mormons, as a christian i can tell you that there are countless other christians that feel this way

it is certainly not ok to hate on the lgbt community or anyone for that matter. but in the case of that officer getting fired for not wanting to support the lgbt parade a while back… well i dont think he should have been fired, as far as i can tell he wasnt asked to do security for the parade he was asked to be in the parade. besides even if he was asked to do security for it. if he didnt feel he could do the job in a professional manner than its perfectly fine to me that he asked another officer to do the job. in effect his employer did there best to force him to support something his morals were against. however i do feel like its important that this officer also needs to feel obligated to protect and serve in other situations, because he may be the only one on seen. if he needs to be working with a lgbt person he needs to treat that person the same as any other. the way i see it in one situation he is asked to support the lgbt way of life and the other is to just treat them decently like any other.

i have not thought it all the way through yet but i feel as tho some services like marrying people or some other service like that, that supports the lgbt community may deserve the ability for someone to deny that service but others like housing or food services or other public services… well with those its not necessarily supporting them is more just treating them decently. and for those i see no reason to deny that service. keep in mind like i said i havent thought it all the way through so im not saying this is how it must be, just food for thought.

religion or not some people have morals that tell them to not support the lgbt community. keep in mind this dosnt mean they have to hate anyone in it just that they dont want to support it.

as far as i can tell most christians that dont support the lgbt community honestly feel they would be happier if they didnt “give into the temptation” and weather they are correct or not there point of view must be respected just as its important to respect the lgbt community saying that they dont want to listen to the community that discourages there actions.

the lgbt community definitely needs protection against hate and negativity, ill support that all day long. but people who dont want to support the lgbt community need there freedoms as well

ANOTHERBOB

nobody

Yes, I know. Public accommodation laws don’t protect that right on private property, and probably shouldn’t, but that’s another debate. If accommodation laws don’t protect a REAL right, then why protect a made-up right like a job and housing?